


deals with the devil

by godmarked



Series: PROMPTOBER 2020 [5]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: .....mostly, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ed is the Truth, Gen, Human Transmutation, Maes Hughes Lives, Major Character Death is Precautionary, Protective Roy Mustang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godmarked/pseuds/godmarked
Summary: Maes dies.Roy isn't going to let it be permanent.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes & Roy Mustang
Series: PROMPTOBER 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945378
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	deals with the devil

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt #05: i need something of yours. how ‘bout your eyes?**   
>  _prompt from howl's moving castle_

Roy Mustang is not a man who often finds himself  _ hopeless. _

Throughout his life, there have been times where he has seen that precipice on the horizon; and he always took it as a sign that there were things that needed to change. Orphaned as a child, he turned to alchemy to pave his path, and alchemy brought him Riza. Faced with the realization he was powerless, he joined the military, which brought him Maes. In Ishval, he came the closest he’s ever been to that brink. But rather than be driven to true hopelessness, he decided that the world would have to change- and he would have to be the one to change it. 

But now, tonight, faced with the corpse of his best friend, he cannot think of any other way to describe how he feels. Roy knows that Maes had stumbled across something  _ big _ , something they were going to meet about tomorrow- Roy’s barely been in Central a day, and now he’s dealing with one of his worst nightmares brought to life. Blood stains the pavement, shining dully in the weak moonlight as Roy fights his gag reflex, staring at the still-warm body. 

He should call Riza, he knows. Should let someone else know that Maes is dead. Should tell his  _ wife _ , god, Gracia will be devastated, left alone with Elysia. But Roy isn’t thinking about the consequences of this, of what his next moves will be. He’s not even thinking about hunting down whoever did this and snapping until there’s nothing left but ash. 

He’s thinking, instead, about Resembool. 

It was a few years back that he and Riza went to investigate two potential recruits for the State Alchemist program- the Elric brothers, supposedly very talented alchemists in their own right. What they had found instead was a circle that still makes Roy sick to think about, a room covered in blood, and the body of a small boy who was later identified as Alphonse Elric, unconscious and without a single memory to his name. The boy was given in to the care of Pinako Rockbell, and Roy had carefully documented the circle and all the research he had found in that house before he burned the cursed thing to the ground. 

“Fuck,” he says out loud, and then he gets to work. 

-

Maes is declared as missing in the time it takes Roy to complete his version of the circle. Clearly, whatever the Elrics had done hadn’t worked properly, so adjustments need to be made; he adjusts the circle even further to compensate for the fact that he still has Maes’ body, carefully kept frozen to prevent further decay. Roy is a good liar, one of the best, and he plays the part of a concerned best friend to the tee, holding Gracia as she cried during the investigatory interview. 

The circle takes up the entirety of Roy’s basement, meticulously drawn and measured. Roy hasn’t used a ruler for circles since he was a beginner, but it had seemed prudent here, to not take any unnecessary risks. Maes’ body lies in the center of the circle, and all Roy can think is  _ please, if there’s a god listening, let me bring him back. _

His fingers touch the edge of the circle and lightning arcs over him, the scent of ozone filling the air as energy washes outwards. It’s too much raw power, even for him, with the amount of control he exercises on a regular basis, the same precise control he got his state power for. Roy realizes, as the world goes dim at the edges, that he’s made a very foolish mistake. 

And then he wakes up. His vision clears slowly, then all at once, blinding white surrounding him as he pushes himself off of the ground. 

“Well, you fucked up,” a voice says, close enough that it sets off his panic response, sending Roy scrambling to his feet with his hand up to snap. The first thing that he notices is that he’s no longer wearing his gloves, the familiar rough fabric simply gone as if it never existed. 

The second thing Roy notices is the man.

Boy, really, he amends in his mind as he lowers his hand, staring at the bored-looking teenager. He’s sitting on the ground of the white space, backed by a giant stone doorway, golden eyes boring into Roy as he stares back. “Where am I?” Roy asks slowly, eyes glancing to the side even as he refuses to turn his back on the boy. There’s nothing but empty whiteness to either side, and Roy has no reason to assume that behind him will be any different. 

The boy waves a hand carelessly through the air. “The  _ where _ isn’t important,” he tells Roy, who  _ begs to fucking differ _ , but he continues speaking before Roy can interrupt. “The  _ why _ is what matters. You’re here to make a trade, I assume, or you’re  _ very _ lost.” 

“A trade?” Roy asks, and the boy rolls his eyes.

“Yes, a fucking trade,” he says. “Look, you’re trying to bring someone back, right? That comes with a  _ cost _ , bastard, and I’m here to make sure you pay it.” He pushes himself to his feet, spreading his arms wide. “So come on, hit me with your best shot? What exactly are you willing to  _ give _ , Mustang?” 

Roy thinks he might be dead, and that this golden creature he sees in front of him is some sort of infernal gatekeeper sent to torment him about the fact that he’s going to hell. “Do you have a name?” he asks, instead of addressing that train of thought. “You seem like you’re well aware of who I am, and if I’m going to negotiate, I’d at least like something to call you.” 

The gatekeeper gives him an appraising look. “Most people call me  _ Truth _ ,” he admits. “Some prefer _ All _ , or  _ One _ , and some people even go so far as to call me  _ God _ .” He bares his teeth in what Roy thinks might be a smile, stretching across his face in a feral, savage way. “But if you’re so insistent on getting cozy, bastard, you might as well call me  _ Ed _ .” 

It’s such a painfully human name that Roy almost laughs, having to bite his tongue to stop himself. “Ed,” he repeats. “Charmed.” 

Ed waves a hand. “Yeah, yeah, hurry it up,” he says. “I’m not here to fuckin’ schmooze, I’m here to collect, so unless you want me to start picking limbs I’m gonna need you to start offering things.” 

“In order to get Maes back, I have to give something up,” Roy says, feeling a little dumb as he says it. Of course- equivalent exchange. “What’s worth a soul?” 

Ed shrugs. “Dunno. No one’s ever managed to do this right before.” 

“And it has to be something of mine?” Roy questions, and Ed lets out a frustrated growl. 

“ _ Yes _ , bastard, what don’t you get? I need something of yours,” he says. His scowl suddenly morphs into a grin, and he takes a step closer. “How ‘bout your eyes?” 

Roy fights the wave of revulsion that rushes through him. “Will my eyes be enough?” he asks carefully. “To bring Maes back?” 

Ed shrugs. “Nobody ever offers their eyes,” he says. “So really, I have no idea! But I think it’d be interesting, at least.” He puts his hands on his hips, looking Roy over derisively. “I mean, I don’t know what you were expecting, but souls aren’t a very exact science.” Ed’s lips purse as if his own words upset him, fingers tightening against the fabric of his shirt. “What’s worth a soul, Mustang? Give me your best offer.” 

And isn’t that the million-dollar question? What on earth does Roy have that could possibly be worth a soul as luminous and loving as Maes Hughes? A force of unending brightness, of unending  _ good _ , someone as brave and clever and loving as his best friend. Roy doesn’t think his own soul would cut it, corrupted and rotten as it must be; and what would Maes think? He’d never forgive Roy for dying in his stead, for throwing their entire plan away. Who’s going to protect Maes if he’s dead? What’s to stop whoever shot him from doing it again? 

“Well,” Roy says, lacing his fingers together to hide the way his hands are shaking. “Let’s start with my eyes, then. After all, I’d hate to bore you, Ed.” 

Ed’s answering grin makes Roy feel like he’s looking into the face of the devil.

_ It’ll be worth it _ , he tells himself, and he shuts his eyes. 

-

In the end, it takes the following: 

Roy’s vision, the actual eyeballs themselves, and what Ed guesses is ten years off of his life. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Ed says, and he sounds so  _ surprised _ once they’ve finished negotiating. “I think that should be enough, Mustang.” He counts on his fingers and mutters something under his breath. “Huh. Yeah, since you’ve got the original body, and your lifespan will account for the energy needed to heal the wounds, and it’s really a matter of binding soul to pre existing form…” he trails off. “Your eyes and the time should do it.” 

“Right,” Roy says, taking a breath to steady himself. “I suppose you’re not a bad final sight,” he muses, and Ed barks out a laugh. 

“Anything else you need, or should I send you on your way?” The gatekeeper asks, and unless Roy’s imagining it, he looks almost disappointed to say it. “Any other bits of human transmutation to attempt? Secrets of the universe to unravel?” 

Roy shakes his head, and then pauses. “What will it cost to get you to tell me why you’re here?” he asks. 

Ed stills. “A favour,” he says. “Just a small one, mind you. Nothing crazy.” 

_ Fuck it _ , Roy thinks. He’s owed favors to worse people. “Alright, then. Why are you here?” 

Ed nods at him. “Tried to do what you did,” he says easily. “Had to choose between staying alive and saving someone else’s life, and I chose his. I’d do it a hundred times over, even if it means I’ve just been hanging out in-” he waves his hand around the empty white space “-this for the last couple of years.” The smile he gives is more bitter than anything else. “My boss is a pretty demanding guy.” 

“I’m sorry,” Roy says, and he means it. “What’s your favor, then?” 

Ed is silent for a long moment, biting his lip, eyebrows furrowed. “I want… no, that’s not right.” Another pause as he chews his request over, before finally speaking. “There’s a boy,” he says haltingly. “Lives way out east, in a little town named Resembool.” 

And Roy thinks about his array, where he got it, and the fact that they never found the second Elric brother. He thinks about the little boy, with his golden skin and golden eyes, and everything clicks into place. “You’re Edward Elric,” he breathes, and Ed’s eyes snap to his. 

“You’ve seen Al,” he realizes, and then he’s rushing across the space. “He’s- god, you’ve seen  _ Al, _ ” he repeats. “He’s okay? The Truth- it didn’t take anything from him, did it? He’s fine?” His fingers are digging into Roy’s shoulders so hard it hurts, and there’s a crazed look in his eye, but Roy thinks he’s probably not in the position to be judging others for what love can drive them to. 

“Last I saw of him, he was a perfectly healthy young boy,” he says, and Ed relaxes, just a fraction. “He didn’t remember the night, and was reluctant to speak- he just wanted his brother back.” It had been painful to watch, the boy crying and insisting he didn’t know anything, asking between sobs-  _ where’s Ed? what happened to Ed? _ It was one of those moments where Roy had felt resolve settle like iron in his core, filled with the knowledge that he would not let the State Alchemist program sink its claws into this child, no matter his crime. 

Roy can see heartbreak in Edward’s eyes as he steps back, hand clutching at his chest. “But he’s safe,” he exhales. “I always worried.” 

“He misses you,” Roy says. “You were his whole world.” 

Ed smiles, ever-bitter. “He was mine,” he replies. “You understand what it’s like, Mustang.” 

Roy nods. “I do,” he admits, looking down at his hands. A blind politician will have to work twice as hard to become Fuhrer, might never make it at all. “Is there any way I can ever get it back? Any way that  _ you _ could be freed?” 

“Find something that circumvents the law of equivalent exchange,” Ed tells him. “You’re a smart enough Alchemist to figure _ this _ out, and that’s the only hint I’m allowed to give.” Another shrug. “If you do manage to put it together, I’ll be waiting, bastard,” he grins, and Roy smiles back. 

“We’ll see,” he replies. “Or, rather, you will. I suppose I won’t be doing much seeing at all, will I?”

And with that, Ed brings his hands together in front of him, and the noise from his clap is like the toll of a bell. “No,” he says, “I suppose you won’t.” 

The great stone doorway behind Ed opens, black tendrils reaching out and grasping at Roy, his face, his eyes, dragging him through. They crack him open, dissolve him to his base components, and all the while Roy can hear the sound of Edward’s laughter. 

-

The first word that Maes says when he wakes up is “ _ Roy _ ,” half-strangled and desperate. He comes up swinging, catching Roy’s shoulder with his fist. “Roy,” he repeats, voice steadying, and then wavering with horror. “ _ Roy _ ,” a third, final time. “What have you done?” 

Roy smiles, hoping he’s looking in the right direction. It didn’t hurt at all, despite the strangeness and darkness and the migraine from Edward sending him back through the Gate. “I couldn’t let you die,” he says, and then he feels Maes’ arms wrapping around him in a bone-crushing hug. Maes is warm, and strong, and  _ alive _ , and Roy thinks that even if he never gets his eyes back, this moment alone makes the whole thing worth it. 

“What do we do next?” Maes asks once he releases Roy. “How long have I been… dead?” 

Roy lets the professionalism swallow him up, pushes down new knowledge and promises and the thought of golden eyes out of his head. “Here’s what we’re going to do,” he says, and as he starts to explain his plan, Roy feels the spark of hope come to life in his chest.

This won’t be what brings him down. 

**Author's Note:**

> huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue
> 
> this au has lived in my brain rent free for YEARS and now i have finally written a drabble for it!! ed but he's the truth!!!!!!! (al is not just sitting in resemboole he's getting shit done don't worry)
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zackwritesstuff) and [tumblr!](https://crossroadboy.tumblr.com/)


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